Chapter 510 - 489: First Update
The bedraggled members of the Fire Order Squad and all of Zhu Ping’s followers clambered up from the ground, their faces alight with the joy of having survived a catastrophe. Ju Nanyi approached Master Qin Liang.
"Thank you—" Ju Nanyi’s voice wasn’t loud, and perhaps to everyone else it seemed only natural for Master Qin Liang to lend a hand, but Ju Nanyi knew what such a magic artifact meant to Qin Liang, and that he might never encounter one of such high rank again in his lifetime.
"It’s what I should do," Master Qin Liang finally noticed Ju Nanyi and started to feel somewhat uneasy, "That was originally Master Ling Yi’s property. When we return to Qiandao Temple, please, Lord Ju..."
"Certainly—" Ju Nanyi interrupted before the other could finish, his response immediate and without hesitation, but before he could say more, a chorus of horrified cries arose from behind him. The ease that had settled over the camp following their recent brush with death vanished in an instant. Ju Nanyi turned around immediately, his heart sinking as he saw not a mere dozen, but a whole horde of dark figures slowly approaching.
Silence fell over the camp, so profound that no sound could be heard. The appearance of this group of black shadows had blanked the minds of all present, as if the road to death itself had unfolded before their eyes.
General Ling stepped forward. This man, who had faced countless battles without so much as furrowing his brow, whose tall stature could bolster the morale of all the Northwest Border’s soldiers, was now silent, his thoughts occupied only by his men from the Northwest Border.
Ju Nanyi stood motionless, realizing for the first time that in his past life, when he had reached the half-way point and encountered the remnants of the Northwest Border, the few words describing the heavy setback and the General’s misfortune now bore an immense weight.
For the first time, Ju Nanyi felt the lives of the tens of thousands of Northwest Border soldiers behind him in the camp, not just the few thousand survivors he had gradually taken charge of, nor the additional few thousand who had escaped back from beyond the borders.
Moreover, these men had almost all become his loyal followers in the days to come.
"To all soldiers—heed my command," General Ling began slowly, his words carrying across the icy expanse, as every gaze turned to him. "The First and Second Battalions stay in the camp. The Third Battalion, move out immediately to meet the forces beyond the borders and recall all soldiers."
"Yes—" came a uniform response. The Fourth and Fifth Battalions, which had not been named, grew anxious, wondering what their role would be. Why hadn’t the General given them an assignment?